Technical Problems

Charity Chic Music will be out of commission for a few days due to technical problems.
Will hopefully be up and running again shortly
Apologies

CC

File Under L

An excellent slice of Americana today courtesy of Lou Ford from their 2000 album Alan Freed's Radio.
Purchased  for next to nothing around the same time as it's 1999 predecessor Sad, But Familiar when I was going through a short phase of bidding for music on e-Bay.

Filed under L as in this instance Lou Ford are a band as opposed to a person. Named after a character in Jim Thompson's 1952 novel A Killer Inside Me. Apparently, as I have never read or indeed heard of the book, he was someone comprised of various levels, where what you saw on the surface wasn't really the whole story. You can see how that would appeal to a band when choosing a moniker.
The main men are brothers Alan and Chad Edwards joined by the rhythm section of John Morris and Darrell Ussery with Mark Lynch on bass.

A gentle song to start with and then the more thrashy (for Americana) song Replacement which almost sounds like The Replacements are performing it.

Alan Freed was an American disc jokey celebrated as one of the pioneers of playing rock'n'roll until he got caught up in a payolla scandal.

Lou Ford - Storz' Bar

Lou Ford - Replacement

Election Day

It's Election day today which can only mean one thing - Billy Bragg

I must admit that following on from the Referendum and the General Election I am finding it hard to build up any enthusiasm for today's elections to the Scottish Parliament.
The SNP are home and hosed with the only debate being whether they will win another absolute majority. Labour remain a busted flush but perhaps the Greens and Rise will do ok in the list voting

The one thing we have learnt from this election however is that we need more rigorous interviewing of the party leaders by Gary -Tank Commander






Use your vote wisely

Billy Bragg - From Red to Blue

Billy Bragg and the Blokes - Take Down The Union Jack

Another Logo

Jamie enjoyed the picture of the badge with The Cramps logo so I thought I would follow it up with another logo this time that of uber crusties New Model Army.
Founded in Bradford in 1980 and still going strong with front man Justin Sullivan an ever present.
It seems that they have a fairly fanatical following. Indeed George the Peanut Farmer knew a postie in Newcastle Upon Tyne who had seen them over 70 times.
I suspect that he would have been familiar with these two songs from 1986 and 1987 when they were at the height of their popularity.
Taken from History - the Singles 85-91
I'm not sure whether they have really stood the test of time

New Model Army -51st State

New Model Army - Poison Street

Happy Birthday to the Oldest Psychobilly in Town

My baby brother turns 50 today.
Regular readers will know that he is a huge rockabilly and psychobilly fan and some of his records have appeared on these pages.
It has even been suggested in some quarters that his music collection is much better than mine

It is entirely possible
Here are a couple of prime examples.
Happy birthday Bro.

King Kurt - Destination Zululand

The Meteors - Somebody Put Something in my Drink

Bluegrass Monday # 8

The Coen Brothers very rarely make a poor movie. However they succeeded with  2000's O Brother, Where Art Thou a story of three escaped convicts starring George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro.
Fortunately the film spawned a terrific soundtrack produced by the mighty T-Bone Burnett.
Some excellent  modern recordings of country, blues, gospel and folk songs appropriate to the Great Depression period the film is set in
And of course some fantastic bluegrass which is why it is featuring today
The Whites consisting of sisters Sharon and Cheryl with father Buck pitch in with Keep on the Sunny Side.
Then we have The Soggy Bottom Boys featuring Dan Tyminski who overdubs Clooney's singing on the film

I think I can keep this Bluegrass lark up for a couple of more weeks. It has been pretty well received with only The Meat Purveyors failing to attract a reasonable number of hits

The Whites - Keep on the Sunny Side

Soggy Mountain Boys -I am a Man of Constant Sorrow

Some Sunday Concept Soul

Marvin Gaye was lined up last week to follow Kim Weston but graciously stood aside for Prince
Playing Kim got me thinking that Marvin has never featured here with the exception of their hit duo It Takes Two.

Apart from the occasional song on compilations the only album I have of his is the 1971 masterpiece What's Going On.
A concept album written from the perspective of a Vietnam veteran returning home and witnessing a world of hatred, suffering and injustice.
It is one of those albums that is probably best listened to all the way through but I may be testing your patience and staying power by playing all 35 minutes 38 seconds
Rather I will feature two songs you will all be familiar with the latter subsequently being covered by Robert Palmer

Now I know I have Sexual Healing out there somewhere ......

More Soul next Sunday

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)